UK alcohol regulator The Portman Group has commissioned a significant proactive independent audit to measure responsible marketing across the alcoholic drinks market.
Auditor Zenith Global will select 500 alcoholic drinks in the Great British market which will be assessed against the Naming and Packaging Code of Practice. The Code of Practice consists of 12 rules which ensure that alcohol is marketed in a socially responsible way, only to those aged 18 and over, and in a way that does not appeal particularly to those who are vulnerable.
The sample will be statistically representative and weighted so that all categories of alcohol are included.
While the Portman Group has previously commissioned audits to test compliance following the introduction of a new edition of the Code, this is the first standalone proactive audit of its kind which will now be run biannually in a move towards more proactive regulation.
Typically as a regulator the Portman Group does not create complaints itself and therefore relies on complaints being made by others in order to trigger an investigation. If Zenith Global has any concerns about a product it will act as the named complainant and will raise a complaint with the Portman Group. The cases will follow the formal complaints process and will initially be assessed by the Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel to determine how the case should be resolved.
The audit will result in the publication of two reports and any products which proceed to formal investigation will have full accompanying decisions publicised.
The project is likely to run throughout this year with results expected to be publicised in the Autumn.
Matt Lambert, Chief Executive of the Portman Group said: “We know that the vast majority of the alcohol industry is responsible , so we are confident that the results of this audit will show high levels of compliance across the market with our Code of Practice and enable us to proactively address any products which do not respect the code. It’s an important step to demonstrate the effectiveness of the self-regulatory model and strengthen our capacity even further.”